Monday, February 29, 2016

I grew up in Indiana, number four of five sisters,
no brothers. Let me beat you to the punch, “Your poor dad!” Heh, heh.

As far as previous
occupations go, there have been many, including retail, elementary school
teacher, medical lab tech, insurance, finance and more. Writing has been
something I've enjoyed since grade school. I like my books to include
something fantastic, a touch of science fiction, or elements of the
paranormal. Currently, I live in rural Ohio with my husband, two children and
a lab/border collie mix. I love weird trivia and humorous antidotes, so you'll
find them sprinkled throughout my blog.

When and why did you begin writing?I began writing in grade school because my
teachers made me—the big meanies!

When did you first know
you could be a writer?

There’s a difference between being a writer and
writing for a living. I’ve always known the former was possible. As for the
latter, ask me again in ten years.

Why do you continue to
write?

I’m addicted. When a scene comes together, it
gives me a high. When I’m forced to stay away from my computer too long, I get
jittery until I get my daily fix of wordage. The compulsion sometimes
interferes with my other responsibilities—housework, social life, and even my
health. Writing is my blue meth, I guess. What writing are you most proud of?The Wish Thief—definitely. I wrote the skeleton
of the book, from beginning to the end in less than three days. Didn’t eat,
didn’t sleep, it was as if the story poured into me from some other realm. I
haven’t had the same experience with any of my other books.

Anyone can publish these days, so my first
inclination is to say marketing. But the more I think about it, the more I’m
leaning toward the middle option. Writing is easy, but writing well is hard.
It’s so hard only the bravest, or perhaps the most delusional of us, set
out to make a living at it.

Do you find it difficult to share your work?At first it felt like offering my heart on a
platter to a stranger. Would they tear it apart or cherish it? I’ve grown a
thicker skin since then. So, nah, it’s not difficult anymore.

What are you working on
right now?I’m currently working on the sequel to Avant
Nation, a dystopian suspense with romantic elements. I’m way behind schedule,
still working on the first draft, but it will be published sometime this year.
God willing.

What else is
coming down the pipeline?I’m thinking about writing a novel based on a
dream I had during my freshman year of college. It was both religious and apocalyptic,
something I’ve pondered many years. Sometimes it’s so hard
to keep at it - What keeps you going?

Sheer madness.

What do you hope people
will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

My goal is to entertain
people. I invite readers to apply their own understanding of the characters and
events as presented. If someone finishes one of my stories and it leaves them
wanting to dive deeper into my fictional world, then I’ve accomplished my goal.
I hope my words stir up a wide range of emotions . . . anxious, excited,
scared, love, hate and joy. You name it.

How do you think people perceive writers?Traditionally published authors are thought of
as intelligent, introverted, eccentric, worldly, competent and cool.

Self-published authors are
perceived as subpar, delusional, annoying little boogers who are always pushing
their books.

I’m not saying the labels are
fair or accurate, but that’s the common perception.Fortunately, opinions are shifting. The
high price of traditionally published eBooks have brought a lot of readers over
to the bargain bins, which are overflowing with self-published books. Since
many readers return to the bargain bin again and again, they are obviously
satisfied with what they have found there in the past. From what I can tell,
the negative sweeping judgments about self-published writers aren’t as negative
as they used to be. I regularly sift through the bargain bin myself. More than
half of the books on my Kindle are self-published. If I can be entertained at
bargain prices, I’m going for it.

When you are not writing, how do you like to
relax?The ideal answer would be to say exercise or
volunteering at a soup kitchen, but that would be a lie. I eat, nap, read, talk
on the phone, take a walk down the lane or watch television. Isn’t that what
normal people do to relax?

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and
why?

On hearing tens of thousands
of young people singing in St. Peter’s Square, Pope John Paul the Second’s last
audible words:

"I sought you out and
now you come to me. Thank you."I like this quote for many reasons. One of them
being that it highlights how a man’s deeds come back to him in the end. It’s
also a testament to a great man’s humility, gratitude and undying
faith. Do you intend to make writing a career?If the income was reliable it would be the
career of my dreams. Reality tells me to wake up and smell the coffee.

Is there a message in your novels that
you want readers to grasp?

I inject my own philosophies and beliefs into my
novels, sure, but I don’t set out to send messages. Once my book goes out to
the world, its interpretation belongs to the readers. They will grasp what is
meaningful to them and it doesn’t matter what I think.

I
started out as a reader. Throughout my childhood, I read voraciously. It really
was a natural progression to become a writer, but I didn’t know any writers
when I was growing up. After I graduated college, I learned about MFA programs
and decided to take a fiction course. That was really the beginning, but my
lifelong affair with books began as soon as I learned to read.

How
do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I have
two young children, so I have to play a lot of mind tricks to get to the page
each day. Over the years, I’ve become a morning person. Some days I get up
earlier than my family to get to my desk. Other days, I write as soon as the
kids are off to school. I used to write at night. Now I can barely stay awake
past 10 pm!

How
and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting
your words down?

I write
longhand in a notebook or I use a laptop. It really doesn’t matter. I prefer
libraries, but I can also get it done at home or in a coffee shop. I really
don’t have time to be picky about my writing environment these days. I do wear
noise cancelling headphones, however. I don’t like interruptions once I get
started.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about
writing?

My favorite
part about writing is the act of imagination. I love making things up. It is
probably why I prefer fiction over nonfiction. My least favorite part is that
it takes a long time to finish a book. I am a slow writer. I wish I could write
faster, but I can’t.

How
did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your
book?

The
idea for my first book Wench came
while I was reading a biography of W.E.B. DuBois. I discovered that DuBois had
taught at Wilberforce University in Ohio, a school that had once been a resort
where slave owners frequently vacationed with their enslaved mistress. I was
shocked, and I could not stop thinking about it. The idea for my second novel Balm was a bit more organic. I did not
want to write a sequel to Wench, but
I did want to explore the next chapter of history: the Civil War era.

What
types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I use
social media a lot. I also travel frequently and speak at libraries and
universities.

My most
recent novel Balm just came out in
paperback this February 2016. It is a novel about people rebuilding their lives
at the end of the Civil War. Set in Chicago, it tells of two women with magical
powers who share a love for healing. It is a meditative historical novel about the
resilience of the American spirit.

Do you have a
project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I’m at
the very beginning of a new project. It is very different for me because it is
set in the 1970s.

What
would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe
he/she has enough talent?

Don’t
worry about comparing yourself to other writers. There is a story in your heart
that is yours to tell. Nobody else can tell it. Take it one page at a time, and
tell it the best way you know how. Just have fun!

Wild
Prairie Rose is part of a series my publisher Forget Me Not Romances put
together. Each writer picked a state flower and created a story which used the
state and the state flower.It’s 20k
words,it took two months to write.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I
send messages to all the face book pages I am on in my town.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I am
currently writing a book called Gold Dust Tea.
It should be out this week.

Do you have a project
on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I’m
working on six books for different collections, but am also putting together a
collection through my publishing company, Lovely Christian Romance Press called
Cocoa Christmas. I’m open to
submissions….see www.lovelychristianromancepress.wordpress.com

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe
he/she has enough talent?

Write…
and after you have finished a chapter or two… read it out loud… see how it
sounds. Join ACFW and get in a critique
group… they will tell you the truth.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Tell me
a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what
you hope to achieve, etc.)

I live
in a village called Steeple Martin, in Kent, England. There is a map of the
village on Lesley Cookman’s website and in all her books. I am fairly short,
about five feet three inches – or possibly two inches if I’ve shrunk. I’m – slightly – er – overweight and my hair is a
sort of dark rusty red and very curly. I look a bit like a rusty bottle brush.
Achievements? Well, I’d quite like a quiet life. We seem to keep having murders
thrust upon us.

I should
say painting, but I only do that for money these days. Just pin money, really,
and I don’t enjoy it as I used to. Also, what was my job as an actress turned
into a hobby, and has now turned into business again, as my partner Ben and I,
with his cousin Peter, run our theatre – the Oast Theatre.

What
is your favorite color and why?

Red, I
think.

What
is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

I like
spicy food, and I think my favourite is Mexican Pollo Con verde, cooked by my
friend Harry.

What would
you say is your biggest quirk?

Nosiness,
definitely.

What
or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to
keep him/her/it in your life?

My
children, my partner Ben, my cat Sidney, my best friend Fran, Peter and
Harry... I suppose I’d do just about anything I could to keep them with me.

What
one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out
in the book in which you inhabit?

After 16
books and two novellas, there’s very little my readers don’t know about me or
my past!

If
you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn
the direction of the plot, what would it be?

Thursday, February 11, 2016

I have a grandson who has a hard time remaining focused. You ask him to clean his room, he is busy playing a video game. Ask him to do his math homework, and he's reading a book. Try to get him to help with dishes, and, no surprise, he's using the bathroom.

We had just such a morning. It took four of us, including him, to get his Valentine's for school started and finished, his socks on, his backpack found, and his homework finished - he actually left without finishing the last piece.

Sometimes it's just easier to do what comes naturally, in other words, to do the stuff you want to do. It's easier to go out to lunch with a friend, spend the evening watching old movies. It's even easier to clean the house sometimes than to write.

Your writing may get shelved for a day or two, maybe even for a week, as you trod along, doing what comes naturally.

Oftentimes, I lose my focus on writing because my 'to do' list is too long, or I'm too stressed or too tired to think about writing. And this hurts me.

When I wake up, and I do wake up, or you wouldn't be seeing this post, I realize that my list could be shorter, that I don't have to do everything in one day, that if I'm stressed or tired, writing something will take my mind off my stress and writing will take my mind off sleeping.

Writing does more than keep me awake. It takes me to another world, another place, where I can focus in on a life that matters. And because my life matters too, it's only natural that I'd want to write, and write focused every day.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

I’ve always written, from a very
young child, when I wanted to make up my own books. I won regional prizes while
I was at Grammar School, but didn’t start to write professionally until much
later when I began to write features for trade magazines.

How do you schedule your writing
time? When do you write?

It’s my day job, so I have an office
and try to work office hours. I don’t work in the evenings, and I must admit to
having time off when I want it!

How and where do you write? Do you
prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I have an iMac in my office. I write
on my MacBook when I’m on holiday, and occasionally edit on that on my sofa in
front of the fire!

What's your favorite part about writing?
Your least favorite part about writing?

My favourite part? As a career, it’s
better than stacking supermarket shelves! My least favourite part is the need
for self-discipline. I’m bad at that.

How did you come up with your book
idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

I write roughly two books a year
under contract, and as my favourite reading has always been mysteries and
detective fiction, particularly that of the Golden Age, my choice of subject
was easy. It was also a commercial decision between my publisher and me to
start a mystery series.

What types of marketing do you do
to promote your writing?

My publisher, luckily, does most of it, but I have a
blog, a website, a Facebook page and I’m on Twitter.

What are you currently working on?
Do you have a new book out?

I am currently working on the
revisions and edits for the 16th book in the Libby Sarjeant series,
Murder Dancing and writing the 17th.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Not exactly the back burner, but the
first novella in a brand new series set in Edwardian England came out on Boxing
Day, Death Plays A Part. I will be writing this series alongside the Libby
Sarjeant series.

What would you tell a beginning writer
who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Work hard, read a lot, and keep
submitting. Do NOT leap straight into self publishing before you’ve honed your
craft. It will show.

The question most people ask me at
talks and events is “where do you get your ideas”. There is no simple answer to
that, and I frequently tell them I go to the ideas shop. However, my children
do supply me with scenarios, especiallymy eldest son, who has come up with many of my recent book settings.

Answered by Kathryn: I get many of my ideas listening to ideas others have for me. I also get ideas simply by living my life and putting my experiences on paper when they come up. Writing what you know is so important, but also being willing to do a little research when necessary. Writing prompts have also gotten me going, especially when I get a temporary writer's block.

I
used to write poems as a teenager and when I was in my early twenties I would
write songs and try to play them on the guitar. I also had a mother who was a
school teacher and she wrote a few books. I learned and lived by the example
that was formed in my

child and teen years.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you
write?

I have not written anything except in my journal every once in a
while. I know I need to start that habit again because time is so important. I
really think I do my best at writing when it is peaceful and quiet and I can
think of what I really want to write. My thought process works better with no
interruptions. For instance, it is late in the evening at this time and it would
be a perfect time to write a book. Mornings could work for me too. I have no
children to raise. I just need to set some time aside and go for it.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some
other method of getting your words down?

I usually write with pen and paper but that has become old school. I
could adapt to a laptop when writing because that is what I am usually working
on all day or even a desktop.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part
about writing?

Coming up with a good idea and making a great story out of it.
Especially an experience or an event that I have encountered in my life. My least
favorite part of writing is having a good thought to write about and being able
to come up with a good ending.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did
it take you to write your book?

Please don’t mind me telling you that I
was frustrated with a neighbor that thought he was so much better than
others. He came off to me as being very conceited and better that me. He just
seemed so arrogant and had the perfect family syndrome. It only took me about 2
days to write the book and about 2 weeks to do all of the illustrating. That
was a process. I was so into it that nothing could hold me back from getting it
accomplished.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your
writing?

FaceBook, Twitter, the web, word of mouth, my publisher and the interviews . I am
working on having a website built really soon.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new
book out?

I am currently working on getting this book marketed. The Boy That
Grew Teeth In His Ear.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about
it. Yes.
I have a book I need to edit and re-illustrate photos that was written by my
mother. It is called the Story of Timmy Mitton.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to
publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I would tell them
to look at their options and find someone like I have to publish their book. I
had no idea there were marketing systems
out there that are all online.

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Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

When I was young I thought I had to sound like a great writer to be one. It was all so overwhelming; now I know I only need to sound like myself. My ideas come from two primary sources. My work might spark from the enlightening words of a friend, teacher or writing prompt. At other times, I am sitting in a very still space and The words I should write come to me like a powerful and glowing wind.